IT Project Portfolio Management
Course Description:
In a fast-paced economy, organizations are increasingly relying on projects to create the change necessary for survival. Each individual project is a challenge in itself, but even more challenging is the requirement that organizations select a portfolio of projects that contribute optimally to its strategic goals and manage that portfolio of projects in a manner that maximizes the use of resources.
In no discipline is portfolio management more important or more challenging than IT. IT investments are, in many organizations, second only in size to investments in human resources. Nowhere are productivity gains more elusive than in IT, and nowhere are concerns about the use of scarce resources more pronounced.
Though closely related to the management of individual projects, portfolio management requires some different skills and different processes. Because of its link to the strategic goals of the organization, it requires a broader focus and longer-term vision than project management. It also requires solid skills in project evaluation and prioritization, identification of the ROI on projects, and communication with senior management.
According to the Project Management Institute (PMI®), while project management is concerned with “doing work right,” portfolio management is about “doing the right work.”
The importance of portfolio management has been recently recognized by PMI, which has issued The Standard for Portfolio Management (Project Management Institute, 2006). This workshop is consistent with the principles and processes detailed in that publication as well as those identified in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (the BA BOK) issued by the International Institute of Business Analysis and the PMBOK® Guide, Third Edition issued by PMI.
This workshop is intended to provide methods and tools for IT managers, PMO directors, and program and project managers that can enable them to link IT investments to strategic goals, make optimal use of scarce resources, and create an effective and balanced portfolio of IT investments.
Course Audience:
The following individuals would benefit from participating in this workshop:
• IT managers
• Operations managers
• PMO directors
• Project managers
• Financial managers